Iran is prepared to continue fighting while also pursuing negotiations with the United States, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Sunday, as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue.
Addressing parliament, Qalibaf said Iran was “neither excited nor intimidated” by US actions and remained fully prepared on both the military and diplomatic fronts.
“We are present in the military battlefield with all our strength and we will face them with new surprises,” Qalibaf said, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
He added that Tehran would also use diplomacy to advance what he described as the rights and interests of the Iranian people.
Qalibaf said Washington had conveyed proposals through mediators after Tehran presented a seven-day roadmap concerning the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, he reiterated that Iran would not agree to reopen the strategic waterway until its seven conditions under the Islamabad Memorandum had been met.
Last month, Tehran presented the United States with a formal set of conditions through Qatari mediators aimed at ending the conflict that began on February 28.
Iran’s demands included a comprehensive cessation of hostilities on all fronts, the release of frozen Iranian funds and an end to the naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Qalibaf’s comments indicate that Tehran intends to maintain military pressure while keeping diplomatic channels open as negotiations over a potential end to the conflict continue.